Death reached me first

The Arrival

giggle reached his ears and it was only then that Daryl noticed the two women leaning against a beat-up red Camaro a few feet away. Merle caught him staring.

"Brought home some friends, baby brother," Merle grinned at him, wiggling his brows as he took a step back to give him an appraising look, "Got skinny since I left. Daddy ain't been feeding you?"

Daryl felt his stomach turn as the moment he'd been dreading arrived. He'd had his doubts before but suddenly, it was clear to him that he'd done wrong by not trying to tell Merle. He'd put it off until it was too late and then he'd just been worried about surviving. Well, he couldn't put it off any longer. Time to man up.

"Daddy, uh...Daddy's gone," he mumbled, unable to meet his brother's eyes.

"Well, where the fuck did he go?"

Daryl shrugged, gaze flicking back towards the girls in time to see one pass a half-full bottle to the other.

"I mean...he's gone. He-he...died."

Merle took a step back as if Daryl had shoved him. When he didn't speak, Daryl looked up to see his brother's eyes burning holes right through him.

"He died? When? What the fuck happened?"

Daryl swallowed hard, his mind instantly returning to that morning two years ago when he'd walked through the door after a night of hiding out in the woods and found his father motionless on the couch, dull eyes staring straight up at the ceiling. He'd already been cold to the touch.

"Don't know. Drank himself to death, I reckon. Been about two years now," Daryl answered quietly, fighting the urge to cower as Merle loomed towards him.

"And you didn't fucking let me know?" Merle growled, jerking Daryl up by the front of his shirt, "Didn't want me at his funeral or what?"

Daryl shook his head, clawing at his brother's hand to remain on his feet, "There weren't no funeral, Merle! No money for one. I didn't know how to get ahold of you...didn't know how to get a letter to the prison or nothing like that."

Merle spat on the ground by their feet and shoved Daryl away from him, "You never do anything right, boy. What would you do without ol' Merle, huh? I don't know how the hell you survived by yourself."

Daryl felt that old familiar sting, as real as if he'd been slapped, and clenched his jaw to hide any sign of emotion. Any sign of weakness. He knew that would only earn him a black eye.

"Fuck," Merle growled again, dragging his fingers over his close-cropped scalp as he crossed the yard to tear the bottle out of one of the girl's hand, "So Daddy's gone, huh?"

Daryl nodded and Merle tipped the bottle back, draining it before tossing it away into the tall grass with a hiss.

"I bet, deep down, you was glad about it. Weren't you, boy?" Merle's smile was sudden and devious and it made Daryl back away towards the trailer, fully aware of what a smile like that meant.